School officials submit School Redesign Grant plan for Watson Elementary School

Tuesday

Apr 8, 2014 at 8:11 PMApr 8, 2014 at 8:28 PM

Mayo-Brown says plan outlines what school would do with funding for turnaround effort to rise above Level 4 designation

Michael Gagne Herald News Staff Reporter @HNMikeGagne

FALL RIVER — State and federally issued School Redesign Grants, or SRGs, helped school officials move the John Doran Community School from Level 4 to Level 2 status in three years.

School officials believe the same process can work at the struggling Samuel Watson Elementary School.

To qualify for the grants, the Fall River Public Schools submitted a redesign plan for Watson to state education officials on April 2, Superintendent Meg Mayo-Brown told the School Committee on Monday night.

That plan seeks to boost literacy for students in early elementary school grades, noting that, in literacy, those grades have the “most students at risk, posing complex challenges for upper grade teachers to bring students to grade level, and in the end increasing dropout risk factors for Watson students.”

The plan also targets emerging literacy development for pre-kindergarten students and strives to boost parent engagement and support. It calls for a school-­based family resource center.

The plan also seeks to increase the development of students’ higher-order thinking skills, noting in classroom observations by school review teams last December that “students were rarely given opportunities to engage in higher-order thinking: In only 20 percent of observed classrooms did students generate their own questions, and in only 13 percent of classrooms observed were students required to form predictions, develop arguments or evaluate information.”

The plan notes that the past few years of student performance, particularly among those with special needs and English language learners, “reveals a consistent downward trajectory.”

It adds that “the lack of staff focus on addressing students’ learning needs, especially special populations, is reflected in the most recent achievement scores.”

The plan recommends building staff capacity to analyze data to inform instruction, with the support of instructional coaches. It establishes benchmarks for educators to use targeted instructional strategies. The plan also recommends aligning the school’s curriculum with the Common Core State Standards.

That turnaround plan was submitted to the School Committee and to the local stakeholder group for review, and it is currently posted on the School Department website.

It is by no means a finalized process, according to Mayo-Brown.

“Think of it as a two-part approval process: approval of the plan to apply for funds and then approval based on the district’s SRG award. If we are not awarded the funds, then the plan would need to be revised,” Mayo-Brown said in an email Tuesday. “In essence, it is the approval to move forward and apply for federal funds.

“Should the district/school be awarded the funds, the SRG plan/application serves as the final, state-approved Turnaround Plan."

The Doran School had received a similar grant three years ago during its efforts to emerge from a Level 4 school. It is now a Level 2 designated school.

Last September, DESE announced that Watson would be designated a Level 4 school. The district was required to convene a stakeholder group to form recommendations, which were submitted to Mayo-Brown, who used them to come up with a turnaround plan.

Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education spokeswoman Jacqueline Reis on Tuesday confirmed that the plan had been received.

“The plan is currently under review, with results of that review to be shared with all districts and schools in early June,” Reis said. “No details on plan content or quality can be shared at this time for any of the plans, as the plans are part of a competitive review process related to federal funding that could potentially be awarded through DESE.”

Local school officials will also be interviewed by DESE officials regarding the plan on Friday, according to Mayo-Brown.